Sorry if this is too off-topic, but I was digging through some old SD cards and thought someone else might find this interesting. This place isn't exactly abandoned, but it's not very convenient to reach or get into, at least it wasn't.

It's the house from which the fat little kid now ostensibly runs his Democratic People's Republic of Stalinist Bliss. You'll see pictures of him sitting in one of the chairs in the last picture pop up in the news sometimes when rogue nukes or uncles mortared to death are being discussed.

Front door, usually as far as most people got.

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Lobby

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Excellent furnishings

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Sweet lamps

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Same lamp in the distance, with person for scale

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Main party room

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That last picture looks like somewhere I went too. Where was this exactly?

Mansudae Assembly Hall. It's between the fountain park and the bronze statue (now statues), you'd probably at least have walked by it after flying in to do the statue flower gifting thing.

I think there are now two statues in the last picture, but I haven't been able to go back in a while.

Hmm, what I was thinking of was in the library, which is also very close but decorated differently. The whole library also is fantastically ornate as well.

Do you go to North Korea often?

The grand people's study house or whatever it is? Yeah that's a block over I think, but it dominates. Have you tried their automated book picker thing?

There are some great buildings all over the country, and a lot of them are "abandoned" until someone shows up. I think it's busier now, but it was awesome having an entire 12 storey hotel to yourself.

I dunno about often, but more than most. I'm not a commie, I just like space/time travel.

Yeah I love North Korean architecture. Only been once back in 2010 but long overdue for a return. Ever been to the South?

Only technically. I've been on the south side of the DMZ, but from the north.

I do want to check it out, but whenever I've had a chance to go south, I've also had the chance to go north. The country has been gradually opening up a little in recent years, and I kept getting the chance to do something I wanted that I couldn't before.

If you do actually go back, feel free to let me know. I'm always looking for an excuse to go, time/money permitting.

Sorry, but I saw your snake liquor picture and couldn't resist sharing my own whacky north korean booze:

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Oh my god... This is fucking amazing! Thanks for sharing!

Posted by htp123 Only technically. I've been on the south side of the DMZ, but from the north. I do want to check it out, but whenever I've had a chance to go south, I've also had the chance to go north. The country has been gradually opening up a little in recent years, and I kept getting the chance to do something I wanted that I couldn't before. If you do actually go back, feel free to let me know. I'm always looking for an excuse to go, time/money permitting. Sorry, but I saw your snake liquor picture and couldn't resist sharing my own whacky north korean booze: click to view

Ah yeah we found a bottle of penis of fur seal wine at Nampho and my friend bought it. I wonder if he ever had it.

What kind of opportunities are you taking to go there? The usual tour groups or something else?

Anyway, I always say you cant understand either Korea unless youve been to both, so dont be a stranger down here. I hope to go there next year, which Ive been saying since 2012.

It's pretty terrible, but that's probably more due to the % and spices.

I don't really have any exceptional opportunities, except that my friends run a tour company there and I used to know some of the guides well enough. There were only a dozen or two only a few years ago, but they exploded pretty fast.

I did get a mostly meaningless paper thing once saying that I'm to be trusted when I had, to my knowledge, the first ever stag party there with my ~1 other friend that would do it. It wasn't too wild, but we did have a few "firsts".

...and I'd <3 to go see Laibach in Pyongyang this summer...

https://www.youtub...atch?v=LB9lObWclFQ

I bet that show will be all foreign tourists with a few token Koreans.

I went with Koryo but now my friend who organised it seems to be closer with Young Pioneers.

Yeah it won't be a very local experience, just an odd intersection.

I've met G from YPT before, but Koryo is who I meant.